Method and apparatus for authenticating users of an emergency communication network

Abstract

An authentication system is configured to weight multiple available network supplied and user supplied authentication factors to determine whether a user should be provided with access to an Emergency Communication Network (ECN). The multiple factors may include the location of the user, MIN, short PIN, token, biometric information, and other information. The level of access to be provided to the user may be tiered based on the authentication level achieved during the weighting process. Authentication information may be shared between groups of individuals, so that the authentication requirements for group members may be reduced as other members of the group supply authentication information to the ECN. Group authentication may be used to enable group services such as conferencing and push-to-talk to be set up automatically for the group.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to communication networks and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for authenticating users of an emergency communication network.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]In a serious disaster, such as a hurricane, flood, earthquake, or terrorist attack, it may be essential for emergency personnel to have access to a telephone network so that the response to the disaster may be coordinated. At the same time, people affected by the disaster may swamp the network with telephone calls thereby making it difficult for the emergency personnel to obtain access to the network. To ensure that emergency personnel are able to receive priority access to available network resources, a separate access system has been developed, which is commonly referred to as the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS).[0005]The GETS is an emergency communications service designed to be used ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]According to yet another embodiment of the invention, authentication information may come from contemporaneous use of the ECN by other members of a group, so that the authentication requirements of group members may be reduced as other members of the group authenticate with the ECN. In this embodiment, groups of individuals may be partially authenticated on the ECN as a result of the authentication of other members of the group, so that the group members may all use the ECN resources without all individually authenticating on the ECN. As the members of the group authenticate with the system, the collective authentication information received from the members of the group may be used to authenticate the remaining members of the group, so that fewer than all of the group members are required to provide full authentication information to obtain services associated with the emergency communication network. In addition, the ECN may create a voice or multimedia conference for users belonging to a group and authenticated as a group. This may allow new services such as push-to-talk group services, telephone conferences, in-bound dialing, and other services to take place on the ECN, either in the wireless or wired domain.

Problems solved by technology

At the same time, people affected by the disaster may swamp the network with telephone calls thereby making it difficult for the emergency personnel to obtain access to the network.

Emergency situations may be very stressful, which may make it difficult for a user to correctly remember the long PIN required to access the network.

Particularly where the user is not accustomed to remembering the long PIN, the increased stress associated with the emergency situation may make it difficult for the user to remember their long PIN.

Unfortunately, the user may not have access to the card when it is necessary to make an emergency telephone call.

Additionally, there are restrictions on the way in which the long PIN may be stored.

Similarly, even if the phone is pre-programmed with the long PIN the user may not have access to their own phone during the emergency situation.

In addition to problems remembering and dialing a long string of digits under stressful emergency conditions, reading and dialing a long number may take a relatively long time.

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